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Agricultural Transition Plan update: progress for nature-friendly farming

England
Policy & Views

The Government’s major announcement on the agricultural transition plan for England is a positive step towards a viable and sustainable farming system, but more work is needed to provide a suitably coherent and ambitious offer for all farmers. 

We welcome the Government’s latest update to its Agricultural Transition Plan (ATP), which unveiled a raft of updates to its farming schemes and says it is rewarding farmers for producing food and protecting the environment. The details announced provide many of the right building blocks for supporting nature-friendly farming in England.

There are many positive steps in the latest announcement, including new payment rates for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship (CS) schemes and a comprehensive list of 50 new actions which farmers can opt to receive money for. The addition of new actions and payment rates can play a crucial role in supporting food production through a more resilient, healthy environment. The inclusion of a range of actions that the NFFN has been calling for is also welcomed.

Work remains to be done to provide a comprehensive offer for all farmers to deliver joined-up, ambitious land management. We look forward to continuing constructive conversations with Defra about shaping a way forward to ensure nature-friendly farming is backed at scale right across England.

Martin Lines, NFFN CEO, said:

“We are pleased that Defra has listened to what nature-friendly farmers are saying, and there are actions we have called for, such as support for agroforestry, species-rich grasslands and connecting river and floodplain habitats. Many people have been heavily impacted by extreme weather recently, and this gives farmers the necessary tools to help address these issues by storing water on their lands to prevent further flooding downstream."

“We welcome this significant expansion of opportunities to deliver nature-friendly farming. It is a step forward in building the resilience and functionality of our landscapes in order to deliver improved food security."

Martin Lines, CEO NFFN

“This offer maintains the commitment to pay farmers public money for public goods which the market currently does not reward. Delivering environmental improvements is a core cost for many farmers, and this is another important step forward in supporting them to do this."

“There remains work to do to tie all this together so the agricultural transition truly delivers the best outcomes for all farmers, but it is a welcome next step in the right direction. We will be working with Defra over the next few months to ensure this is a programme that works for farmers while also delivering on the Government’s climate and nature targets.”

Public engagement and knowledge are at the heart of developing a food system which works for farm businesses, consumers and the environment. It's positive to see in the list of actions the inclusion of financial support for welcoming a broader range of people onto farms to help people understand where their food comes from. Previously farmers were only rewarded for visits by school groups, but this is now being broadened to include community organisations and similar bodies.

“We need to reconnect the public with the food farmers produce and how it is made, the landscapes that farmers maintain and the nature that is protected there. Getting people onto farms is a critical part of this, and it is important farmers can receive income for providing these educational experiences," says Martin.

Greater clarity to plan ahead

NFFN England Chair James Robinson says the latest announcement by Defra is a positive development. This comes after he led a high-profile campaign last year to improve the support given to upland farmers.

James said: “The 2024 offer is a good step in the right direction. I'm pleased to see the way the Government is talking about rewarding people who are maintaining and protecting existing habitats such as species-rich grasslands, which is a key feature in landscapes like mine. This is going to make a real difference for farmers who are already doing the right thing and using nature-friendly practices. It is extremely important that we look after and enhance the habitats we have already got as well as creating new ones."

“All the tools are there to deliver actions which will help support sustainable food production and nature’s recovery. Now we need to see how these actions will go beyond the sum of their parts, rewarding farmers in all landscapes for the public goods they provided.”

James Robinson, NFFN England Chair

Holly Purdey, NFFN England Vice Chair, said: “The increase in maintenance payments for options such as species-rich grasslands is absolutely paramount to protecting their future and valuing the farmers who have already been protecting key habitats."

“The streamlined application process will ensure time is saved and encourage more farmers of all sizes to become involved in the new schemes. As a tenant farmer, I am encouraged to see increasing opportunities with short-term agreements, as this will ensure the farmer will be rewarded fairly at the point of delivery."

“Education and access are key to inspiring the next generation of farmers, showing our communities what can be achieved by farmers delivering food and nature for future generations and helping consumers make informed choices about the products they buy.”